RB News World Latest News
Related Articles
Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday inaugurated ‘DefConnect 4.0’ at an event in Delhi, during which he addressed the program, in which the armed forces, defense public sector undertakings, innovators and policy makers talked about the discussion on indigenous innovation. He said that we are living in an era where we address the world as a global village. Where we feel that the distance between people has now reduced. In other words, we are living in the age of information technology, where information about a person sitting a thousand kilometers away reaches us in seconds.
Giving more detailed information about DefConnect, he said that this event of this name is continuously progressing. When it comes to the national security of India, it becomes very important to have a strong connection between all the stakeholders connected to the defense ecosystem. When we connect all the stakeholders with each other, then definitely our defense ecosystem will be strong. For this connection, the Government of India is focusing on the implementation of all these schemes.
PM Modi gave the slogan of self-reliance
Further, he said that in 2014, soon after our first government came to power, Prime Minister Modi gave the slogan of ‘self-reliance’. Behind this connect, the Prime Minister’s mantra of ‘self-reliance’ was working. The government considered the lack of private sector participation in the defense sector as a major obstacle in the way of achieving self-reliance, and started working on it.
‘New heights of success touched’
Further, the minister said that I remember when iDEX was started in 2018, at that time we provided assistance of up to Rs 1.5 crore for R&D to our young innovators, startups, entrepreneurs and MSMEs. Through many challenges, we not only encouraged our innovators to innovate, but also provided the necessary funding for it. Talking about iDEX, he said that through the Defence India startup challenge i.e. DISC, our startups and MSMEs were involved more in the R&D sector. By 2021, you touched such heights of success that you were also awarded the prestigious Prime Minister award for excellence in innovation.
iDEX has received about 9000 applications so far
On the success of iDEX, Rajnath Singh said that, I have been told that iDEX has received more than 9000 applications so far, and currently iDEX is collaborating with more than 450 start-ups and MSMEs through DISC and open challenge. Apart from this, 26 products have been developed so far under iDEX, for which procurement orders worth more than Rs 1000 crore have also been given.
‘Living amidst possibilities of wars’
Rajnath Singh said that today we are living amidst various types of wars and possibilities of wars. New technologies are constantly being incorporated in these wars. Not only conventional arms and ammunition are being used in these, but many types of dual use, or even purely civilian items and technologies are being used. In such a situation, we have to understand these types of technological applications in depth.
‘India’s defense system will be the strongest’
The Defense Minister further said that a big task like self-reliance cannot be done by the government alone. Rather, for this we need the support of all the stakeholders associated with it. I am happy to say that all of you have walked hand in hand with the government till now. At the same time, I am also confident that this connection of all of us will become stronger in the future and together we will make India’s defense ecosystem the strongest and most modern in the world.
